Texas universities struggling with rising tuition costs for veterans

AUSTIN — Cash-strapped universities are seeking relief from the state to pay for a multimillion-dollar mandate that gives veterans and their families free tuition, a cost that has quadrupled in four years.

Key legislators say they recognize the funding crunch, but it’s unclear whether schools will get what they are asking.

It’s another example of the negotiations that will play out when the Legislature convenes next month as backers of popular but expensive programs debate with lawmakers wanting to rein in spending.

Last year, public universities absorbed about $58 million in free tuition and fees as a result of a state law that provides 150 free credit hours to veterans or to their dependents if the veteran is killed or disabled in combat.

A 2009 update of the Hazlewood Act allows veterans who do not use any or all of their benefits to pass them along to their children.

With more veterans returning from active duty and taking advantage of the program, universities say they need help from the state to keep the benefit alive.

“We’re very proud that Texas offers veterans and their families this education benefit,” said Jean Bush, the University of North Texas’ senior associate vice president for finance. “It is, however, an unfunded benefit.”

“We’d just like the state to help ease that burden by offering us some funding, even partially. Anything is better than nothing.”

Costs have spiked since the law’s 2009 “legacy” amendment was added. But veterans, not their children, make up the majority of those using the benefits.

In the 2011 fiscal year, the most recent statewide figures available, 7,671 veterans attended college under the act, compared with 1,963 children of vets.

Community colleges, health institutions and public state and technical colleges also are covered. The cost for the state’s 50 community colleges went from nearly $4 million in 2009 to almost $11.5 million in 2011.

Spending cuts

Some lawmakers say the universities are reacting in part to reductions overall in higher education spending.

When the legacy benefit was added, “we didn’t hear any complaints from the universities” until the last Legislature, dominated by Republicans, cut $1 billion from institutions and financial aid for students, said Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio.

Van de Putte, who chairs the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, wrote the legacy provision to support the families of veterans because she said they also make sacrifices. Looking to the next session, she said, the state should pick up some of the tab.

She also wants to clarify the law so that the age limit of 25 or younger applies only to legacy beneficiaries, not children or spouses of deceased or disabled veterans. The Higher Education Coordinating Board supports that idea.

Others said universities will need to do more.

The schools’ focus should be on “educating the populus, not making sure you’ve got a winning football team or an alumni association that serves wine and cheese,” said Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, who heads the House Defense and Veterans Affairs Committee.

Pickett said he will push a bill that would remove the age limit for Texans who didn’t take advantage of the benefit when they were younger, or are now looking to train for a new job.

That would probably drive the cost up, but it’s unclear how much.

72 percent jump

At the University of Texas at Austin, which ranked alongside a handful of other state institutions on G.I. Jobs magazine’s list of military-friendly schools, costs for the benefit jumped nearly 72 percent in the last year.

“We have veteran-friendly campuses, but when that comes with the Legislature saying there’s a break on their tuition, there’s a cost to that,” said Barry McBee, the UT System’s vice chancellor and chief governmental relations officer.

In a similar position is the Texas State University System, which expects a 50 percent increase next year in the number of people enrolling under the Hazlewood Act.

Mike Wintemute, the system’s associate vice chancellor for governmental relations, said its schools have absorbed the costs so far but are concerned about whether they can continue to do so.

“We want to honor our military veterans and their dependents and expand their opportunities for personal and professional growth through higher education,” he said.

‘Broader base’

But the benefit, he argued, “should be supported by a broader base of citizens and should not fall squarely on the shoulders of tuition-paying students.”

Texas State University in San Marcos is one of many state schools that consistently rank on G.I. Jobs’ list of the military-friendly schools, which weighs tuition assistance at 5 percent of the overall grade. The schools are those approved for post-Sept. 11 GI Bill funding.

Universities are careful to say they favor the benefit but are looking for help to balance the rising costs. Bush, the North Texas official, noted that the university had to impose a hiring freeze because of a budget crunch.

“We would never, ever say we don’t want to support our veterans, but we do need some relief,” she said.

Follow Claire Cardona on Twitter at @ClaireZCardona.

AT A GLANCE: Who’s eligible

Veterans who have served more than 180 days of active service and fulfill other eligibility requirements such as entering the service in Texas or being a resident of Texas.

Spouses of eligible veterans who are killed or missing in action or 100 percent disabled.

Dependents of eligible veterans who are younger than 26, if the veterans are killed or missing in action or 100 percent disabled.

Dependents younger than 26, if veterans pass their eligibility to them rather than use it themselves.

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